I'm been rattling this question around in my head for a bit: in which season was each of the characters at their best? (And worst?)

Obviously this is just my opinion but I am interested to hear yours as well!

*I have based my rankings around how enjoyable the character was for me to watch

Jonathan

Worst: Season 5

"Exposed" for me encapsulates all the problems with this character. Jonathan defends Old Friend against charges of having flings and going to strip clubs, deciding it's all Lex's fault somehow. When it turns out Old Friend is doing all that stuff, it's still all Lex's fault, even though he assisted Clark in stopping a killer. Therefore Jonathan must run against Lex for office, kicking off a very boring plotline.

Best: Season 2

I found Jonathan much more human and less speechy in S2. Favourite moments: the wonderful scene with Clark at the end of Rosetta, where Jonathan for once doesn't have a pat answer; the revelation in Lineage that Jonathan was willing to make a deal with Lionel, thus screwing over the Rosses; the banter with the new Sheriff, highly unimpressed with good ol' boys of Smallville and most of all this perfect line (from Rush): "And tell Pete to stop cutting donuts out in the field. He's scaring the cattle!" Best episode: Rosetta.

Martha

Worst: Season 4

While I didn't like Red Queen Martha in S9, her worst full season by far was S4. Yes, Annette got to sing "La La" one time but that didn't make up for suddenly working for the Talon (?) accepting relationship advice from Lana (??) and worst of all, tearing a strip off a weeping Clark for marrying Alicia on Red K. Nasty stuff.

Best: Season 2

The baby plot put an end to the good times, but while the Luthor plot lasted it was fun to watch AOT get off the farm and interact with the Luthors. Lineage is a lovely Clark/Martha story. And Clark frantically appealing to "Mom!!!" when Jonathan won't let him go on a date with Lana in "Rush" shows who really rules that roost. Best Episode: Insurgence.

Lionel

Worst:Season 6Lionel is a great original character, one of SV's best contributions to canon. But by the middle of the series there was writer-flail about how to deal with him. The confusion set in after the magnificent Transference. After having Clark inside him, Lionel becomes "kinda" good. Not to the extent of not having people killed (Lexmas) but good enough to offer advice to Lana Lang. (Sacred.) The Jor-El possession supposedly makes him even less bad, with Martian Manhunter around to vouch for him...but he never actually stops doing bad stuff, which leads to the puzzling schism of S6 in which Lionel can have cozy confabs with Clark (and Thanksgiving dinner!) but still indulge in blackmail & death threats when the plot requires it. (Promise.) It was like the writers' room was battling over Lionel's soul.

Best: Season 3Hard to pick a best because Glover is so consistently awesome. But S3 is Lionel-unleashed. We find out he killed his parents, see him experiment on his son's brain, order the mass murder of a lab full of people and scariest of all, shave his head to an opera soundtrack! He's expanded from terrifying Lex to scaring the heck out of everyone. (As a side note, when other fans were debating the Chlois theory at TWoP, there was one lonely fan who kept arguing for the Lexionel theory - that Lionel would turn out to be the real Lex. The heart-transfer finale kinda proved him right & I hope he took some satisfaction from that!) Best episode: Asylum

Lana

Worst: Season 6KK does a stand-up job with the material and once cited this as her favourite season. But this was a hard slog for any actor. Not only did they air episodes out of order, disrupting Lana's arc, Lana as written in S6 totally plays against Kristin's strengths. We're supposed to swallow that Lana goes immediately from being madly in love with Clark to blindly in love with Lex. The show tries to posit that Lana has no choice but to go live with Lex: I mean, Zod wrecked her dorm! (Er, both Lois & Chloe managed to house themselves just fine.) So she has to move in with him and start having sex with him and no, it's not just fun casual sex because Lana's a good girl. She loves Lex so she's blind to his faults and it's her intrinsic purity that stops her from listening to any advice on the subject.. except she keeps hinting to Clark that she'd ditch Lex in a heartbeat to come back to him. The show keeps hammering the "It's not Lana's fault!" soapy-martyrdom mantra when it would have been a lot more fun if Lana simply wanted Lex because he was hot, the sex was great and she was willing to overlook a few clones about the place.

Best: Season 2

Kristin has a dry wit which comes out in interviews. But she has never seemed like the "swept away by passion" type. One of the biggest failings of SV was not letting her play to type: the grounded, sensible one who cuts through other characters' silly moments. The season that came closest to achieving this was S2. I can believe Lana running a coffee shop - after all Kristin was running her own career at the same age. The scene where she gently fires Clark for being the world's least reliable waiter is perfect. S2 also lets Lana mess up a few times, in plausible ways. Looking at Clark photos of Chloe's computer? Skeevy, but I'd be tempted too. Breaking up with Whitney by video? In 2011, it would be by text message, and yes, I believe a 16 year old might do it. Barging in on her birth father? ("He called me a Nazi!") Heh. Dodging visiting sick Clark because she's afraid of her feelings? I can get that. And there are empowering moments too, particularly telling Clark she doesn't always want to rely on his rescues and learning some self defense moves herself. Best episode: Lineage.

Chloe

Worst: season 9This is an easy choice - Chloe's S9 plotline making not a whit of sense to me. She's presented as all tense and stroppy with Clark and it's never explained why. They seemed to be building to a confrontation which would have worked very well - she could have found out he'd messed with her memories and been cross about that; Clark had every reason to be carrying some resentment over the Doomsday debacle and the unasked for surveillance. Also, Chloe and Clark fight well - Tom & Allison rocking their conflict scenes in Zero & Lineage particularly. But Chloe's plotline goes nowhere and we don't get a big acting moment or any catharsis - I had to wonder if the writers dropped whatever they'd originally planned for her. (And if so, why?)

Best: season 3The SV girls generally get judged more harshly on moral grounds than the guys do, as though SV was a virtue contest. "She's not morally upright enough to be Clark's girlfriend!" et al. I judge characters solely on their entertainment value to me which is why Lionel > Jonathan and Tess > all other Gals. So the fact that Chloe is doing some shady dealings in S3 doesn't bother me one bit because it's very entertaining to watch. Part of the enjoyment of high school Chloe is that the way she runs off the mouth and thinks she's ready to play in the grown-up pool is completely relatable. I knew that kid, who always seemed to be on first name terms with grown-ups and you half envied her and half wanted to smack her. I also like Chloe best before she knows Clark's secret. Because before she knows, she's his friend but her curiosity makes her a bit of a threat, which gave the relationship an interesting tension. Best moments: Extinction: "He had GILLS, Clark!"; the trip to the morgue with Lex; a most excellent & believably angry quarrel between Chloe & Clark in Exile. Best episode: Truth.

Oliver

Worst: season 8Of all the wasted opportunities of SV, the writing of Oliver as an angsty murderer has to belong at the top. Oliver should have been a light-hearted character, comic relief in the show's darker moments, a sidekick for Clark, Instead, this season ends with him stabbing Clark in the back, literally, then expecting an apology from Clark for getting in his way. For me, the character never recovered from this.

Best: season 10There was some fan-complaining about how the relationship with Chloe had "ruined" Oliver. I don't have much interest in that 'ship but it did make me wonder - what good old days are these folks remembering: Ollie being introduced as a kidnapper who condones torture? Flashbacks to his bully Excelsior days? The times he tried to kill Lex and then succeeded?

If I had to choose one episode for Oliver's best, it would be "Kandor." Oliver gets to be funny and Justin has never looked lovelier. But overall, S10 was a step up for him. He doesn't murder anyone, he mostly stopped whining at Clark and being in a relationship seemed to ground the writers conception of him. Plus, he made for one awesome showgirl!

Lois

Worst: season 5After a great intro in Crusade, Lois spent a lot of time over the next four seasons consigned to the "C" plots of the episode, the writers slotting her in wherever there was a gap. So she doesn't usually get the juicy plotlines; she gets the "working on Jonathan's campaign" plotline and a lot of her scenes ended up deleted. I chose S5 as worst because I hardly remember her in it - it's a memory-blur of bikinis, horrible banter with Aquaman, a head-to-toe pink outfit which made her look like the pink panther...

Best: season 8Part of the charm of Lois in S8 is Erica's palpable excitement at finally getting plotlines, some decent dialogue and a much better wardrobe. Yay, I'm off the bench! Sure, she's not in every episode but she gets to represent the light-hearted side of a a thematically dark season and ED relishes every moment. The character has also been rebooted: this a gentler, more fleshed-out Lois and at last the writers seems to know how to write her. Best episode: Bloodline

Tess

Worst: season 9Cassidy never fails to rock her dialogue but Tess in S9 is all over the place, the same "good or evil" waffling that affected mid-period Lionel. Sleeping with Zod seemed random. It was also distressing to see Clark choke Tess twice this season.

Best: season 10A coherent arc, a redemptive ending and a big juicy kiss from Clark Luthor - Tess had it going on in S10! Best episode: Luthor

And now my two favourites....it's hard to choose for these two because they're the reason I watched, singly & together.

Lex

Worst: Season 6 (I'm ignoring fake Lex in S8)The biggest mistake with Lex was depriving the audience of his POV after S4. In the earlier seasons, we got to see through Lex's eyes a lot and it was a fascinating vantage point; Clark has a secret, why won't he tell me? But by S6, the writers won't let us into his head, preferring to keep Lex enigmatic. Which makes for a lot of cryptic, dead end dialogue. Lexana scenes are shown from Lana's POV and mostly concern their relationship. Meanwhile, Lex is taking huge steps offscreen - reviving 33.1, starting his cloning project but we get only glimpses of this, in between relationship drama.

The other mistake is denying Lex any victories. To be a Clark's nemesis, he needs a few checks in the "win" column, ie he wins the election, kicks Oliver's ass, Lana really falls in love with him. As victory succeeds victory, Lex would get more arrogant and more dangerous. But by S6, the show lacked the confidence to step away from the relationship drama and Lex isn't allowed even a momentary victory. Consequently, he never poses a real danger. Even the finale, he re-appears dramatically....to shake his pom-poms and urge Clark to defeat Darkseid! (From a Clex viewpoint, I'll confess to loving that.)

Best: Season 1Michael recently said that season one was his favourite. It's hard to pick...I adore S3. But from a character standpoint, S1 might be his best. Because Lex in S1 gets shit done! He's not beaten down by Lionel yet, is still willing to take him on. Clark is the smitten one at this point, ordering Lex to drive more carefully and sulking at the arrival of Victoria. Lex chalks up a series of victories in S1, outwitting Nixon, Victoria and her father, Carrie Castle and Dominic. He's sexy, likeable and trying to be good - but he's also a bit of a menace.

Clark

Worst: season 7Episodes like Promise, Pandora, Persuasion and Doomsday were worse to me than anything in S7. However, it is extremely low on Clark. Tom has his lowest screen time in the history of the show and Clark mostly reacts to other characters. He also gets rescued by other people a lot.

Best: Season 1One thing I realized while watching the finale: I preferred when people didn't know Clark's secret. The first hour of the finale is one long succession of people lining up to advise and pep talk Clark. The difficulty with others knowing Clark's secret is inevitably the writers portray them as Clark's advisers. Yes, it solves the writers' issues of how to integrate other characters into Clark's life but it also makes him seem like he can't do anything without a team of Life Coaches hovering at his elbow.

Now, look back to Jitters and 15 year old Clark solving a crisis, completely on his own. He strategically uses his powers, makes a plan, saves everybody and even has sympathy for the krypto-villain. Clark in S1 trusts his own judgment and his judgment is good. He's got the confidence to disregard his parents' advice when he thinks they're wrong (Zero, Tempest), his crush on Lana doesn't prevent him from telling her she's being unfair (Hug), when he wants Chloe out of his business he tells her (Zero) and though he's bighearted enough to eventually forgive Whitney, that doesn't come right away. Contrast that to S9, where Clark isn't allowed even a momentary anger at Oliver for the knife in the back.

Another thing I realized watching the finale - perfect adherence to canon was ultimately not that important to me. As with the Justice League shows, Smallville's innovations to canon were often the best bits. There was fan-fussing that Tom wasn't shown in the suit head to toe at the end, that no one called him Superman. But to me, he was Superman right from the start, perhaps never more so when he was doing it all on his own, by instinct, sans support group.

This is such a good idea. I'm planning my next SV post, but as has been the case with the whole final season, I seem to be dragging my ass.

I'm going to do these off the top of my head, without giving it much thought.

JonathanBest: S1 - Pretty much what I wanted and expected him to beWorst: S4 - He was hardly around, but when he was, he seemed to do a lot of scowling

Martha: Best: S5 - Solitude, Reckoning, Vengeance, Mercy. These are Martha eps that really resonate for meWorst: S6 - Hard to remember that Martha was even in this season

Lionel:Best: S3 - Straight up evil Lionel.Worst: S7 - He was all over the map. I'm still not sure where he was coming from

Lana:Best: S4 - As reviled as the witch arc was, Lana seemed to come into her own a bit more in this seasonWorst: S7 - It seemed her arc was going somewhere, with Lana embracing a much darker side, then it fizzled. And the Bizarro stuff?

Chloe:Best: S5 - Initially, I liked how Chloe stepped into the role of Clark's confidante. Eventually, it went too far.Worst: S9 - She was a hateful witch, and it destroyed the character for me

Oliver:Best: S6 - Hard for me to say, because I'm not sure I've ever liked the character, but at least S6 seemed to have an Oliver who knew who he wasWorst: S8 - Whining, brooding, murdering, backstabbing Oliver sucked.

Lois:Best: S9 - It feels like the season where Lois finally comes togetherWorst: S6 - I can't even remember what she did in this season

Tess:Best: S10 - Struggling for redemption Tess hits me right in the heartWorst: S8 - I never understood the whole "I must force Clark to face Davis" thing

Lex:Best: S2 - I think S2 gave Lex a few more layers then S1, but didn't woobify him as much as S3 didWorst: S6 - Lana-fixated Lex is my least favorite facet of him

Clark:Best: S1 - S1 Clark is who I fell in love withWorst: S7 - Clark is just a mess in this season

Worst: S6 - Hard to remember that Martha was even in this seasonShe's a guest at the engagement party in Crimson & puts Lana in Clark's room in Trespass - neither great character moments for her!

Worst: S4 - He was hardly around, but when he was, he seemed to do a lot of scowlingHe was fun in "Run" but there was the awful scene where he's mad the dog ate his roast in "Krypto"...this is the season when JS started complaining a lot.

I'd have to go back and rewatch the seasons to have any kind of opinion on this, but I do love reading your thoughts. It gives me things to look out for when I watch the eps. I actually did go back and start watching S1 again. I'm about 14 eps in or so. I do miss how sweet and innocent everyone seemed in S1 though. :)

I actually did go back and start watching S1 again. I'm about 14 eps in or so. I do miss how sweet and innocent everyone seemed in S1 though.They're all so pretty, the show had beautiful sets & colours, the BabyClex so smitten with each other...

Wow, what a fabulous idea! I'll have to think about my answers but I'm sure I'll agree with most of yours (Lex, Lana and Lionel for sure). However, I may prefer S9-S10 Clark to S1, at least in the best episodes. Sure he needed more help, but the situations he was dealing with were far more complex and the stakes so much higher.

I'm been rattling this question around in my head for a bit: in which season was each of the characters at their best? (And worst?)

Great compilation of scenes/character moments. I’ll try my hand although I’m useless with remembering what happened in which season.

Jonathan:

Worst: I have to agree with your S5. The Senator plot line was ridiculous and I find it funny that for a family that has tried to hard to stay under the radar (even to the extent of cutting out Martha’s father in their life) that Jonathan would want to take the political stage with all the scrutiny that brings. Inplausible storyline.

Best: End of S2 beginning of S3. Jonathan going to Jor-El to get his son back just really showcased the love he has for Clark. How essential he is to their family and what lengths Jonathan would go for him.

Martha

Worst: I agree with all of your S4 for her.

Best: Whatever season Mionel was in. I loved “Mercy”. I loved seeing Martha as someone more than a mom. I hated her insta-trust of Lionel though, but Clark overlooked a lot of Lex’s sins because they were banging. Martha did the same.

Lionel

Worst: I agree with your season 6. Good-ish Lionel was terrible and it was so inconsequential that I completely forgot about it until you mentioned it.

Best: Wow. I enjoyed S3/S4 Lionel. Poisoning is son, jamming up Clark and his friends. Baring his arms in prison. It was a tour de force for Glover.

She loves Lex so she's blind to his faults and it's her intrinsic purity that stops her from listening to any advice on the subject.. except she keeps hinting to Clark that she'd ditch Lex in a heartbeat to come back to him.

Welllll. Look at Clark!

The show keeps hammering the "It's not Lana's fault!" soapy-martyrdom mantra when it would have been a lot more fun if Lana simply wanted Lex because he was hot, the sex was great and she was willing to overlook a few clones about the place.

ITA. I loved Lana Luthor so I have to set this for my Best Lana for this season. I loved that she seemingly found herself. She wasn’t just living in the memory of her dead parents. This is who Lana started out as in S1 with quitting the cheerleading squad finally come to fruition. I hate how they eased back on it so that she could still be the sweet, girl next door Lana because the stuff Lana got into S7 or so.

The Worst: Lana post-Bride. I think Lana had grown so much, even more than Clark and she knew what she wanted and who she was and the writers undid all of that and let the breakup be because of Lex’s power suit (The powersuit worst season was the season the powersuit was in) and not because she knew in her heart she had outgrew him and Smallville.

Chloe: This heifer.

Worst: Season 8. Her deception of Clark wrt to Davis and the mishandling of her relationship with Jimmy was too much for me. S9 for her further blaming of Clark guiltripping him, culminating in S10’s HeroDespiteBeingAnAntiHero!Chloe.

, she's his friend but her curiosity makes her a bit of a threat, which gave the relationship an interesting tension.

So true. And it was some great, unforseen foreshadowing considered where their relationship went.

Best Season: Hmmmm. S4. She was cute in “Obsessed” or whatever the episode was when she climbed into Clark’s lap wearing his jersey.

//I think Lana had grown so much, even more than Clark and she knew what she wanted and who she was and the writers undid all of that and let the breakup be because of Lex’s power suit (The powersuit worst season was the season the powersuit was in) and not because she knew in her heart she had outgrew him and Smallville.//

I so agree with this. This was such an incredible disservice to Lana' character.

Worst: Season 10. The writers, little by little, had to unmake Oliver because when we are first introduced to the character he was actively working as a hero, we see him in S7 as the creator of the JLA. He was where Clark was trying to get to. But because the story is Clark’s journey to hero the writers didn’t seem to want to deal with the hero they already had so we had a Oliver who was constantly doubting himself and dropping out of society as a way to freeze his hero status as they developed Clark. Then when he finally gets his act together, we get an Oliver who is relegated to sneaking out under Chloe’s nose because she’s trying to keep him safe..When he isn’t being tied up and molested by Rick Flagg.

what good old days are these folks remembering: Ollie being introduced as a kidnapper who condones torture? Flashbacks to his bully Excelsior days? The times he tried to kill Lex and then succeeded?

Oh, that’s just Oliver being Oliver! LOL!

Because of my love for him, I do tend to ignore his many faults. But that’s what I love about Oliver Queen in SV and in the comic’verse; he’s flawed and everyone knows it and he knows it. But I think the writers attempted a good balance at showing the good in Oliver: rescuing Clark in “Odyssey”, Clark’s point man in “Dominion”, the fawning suitor in “Kandor”. And as for his Lex Hate, it warms my shipper heart because if he didn’t know Clark loved Lex he would’ve never killed him.

LoisWorst: I would have to go with whatever season she hooked up with Grulian. Best: season 9. Her relationship with the Blur was great.

TessWorst: I don’t have a worst for Tess. Best: season 10ITA.

Lex

Worst: Season 6 : The other mistake is denying Lex any victories. To be a Clark's nemesis, he needs a few checks in the "win" column, But by S6, the show lacked the confidence to step away from the relationship drama and Lex isn't allowed even a momentary victory. Consequently, he never poses a real danger. Even the finale, he re-appears dramatically....to shake his pom-poms and urge Clark to defeat Darkseid! (From a Clex viewpoint, I'll confess to loving that.)

ITA. With. Every. Word.

Best: Whatever season Lex starts to hit back at Clark a bit. He’s not buying the “exams” excuse anymore. He’s not just not waiting out Clark to tell him the truth but is a bit challenging to him. I think I love that season more (I think it deals w/ the dagger) is because you can see how it costs Clark more to continue ducking Lex’s line of questioning and it makes Lex looks less like a loveblind fool.

ClarkWorst: S6 but mostly due to his relationship with Lana despite her being engaged and pregnant.

Now, look back to Jitters and 15 year old Clark solving a crisis, completely on his own. He strategically uses his powers, makes a plan, saves everybody and even has sympathy for the krypto-villain. Clark in S1 trusts his own judgment and his judgment is good.

The failure of PS3 was thinking that for the other characters to have things to do they had to be involved and in the middle of all of Clark’s decision making process. And when Clark does make decisions, he has the gang going behind his back because they doubt him and feel it wrong. I don’t know how showing Clark as having bad judgement and having him second guessed by everyonee makes Clark a better hero in their eyes. So for the fact of Clark being able to stand on his own two feet and not doing everything by committee I would say S3 was my favorite because he still had those qualities you mentioned but was learning the greater truth of who he is (Legacy, Memoria).

As with the Justice League shows, Smallville's innovations to canon were often the best bits. There was fan-fussing..But to me, he was Superman right from the start, perhaps never more so when he was doing it all on his own, by instinct, sans support group.

As the kids say, “THIS!” I would’ve been fine with him never even touching the suit but I know that was something people wanted/needed to see. As been said in other episodes it’s not the suit that makes the man. And Clark showed that he was indeed Superman before the final epsiode.

I would’ve been fine with him never even touching the suit but I know that was something people wanted/needed to see. As been said in other episodes it’s not the suit that makes the man. And Clark showed that he was indeed Superman before the final epsiode.I have seen one whine too many that Tom is a "coward" for not wearing the tights! FFS! There are people complaining in Beeman's blog that it wrecked 10 years of SV that they didn't see his legs!

I don’t know how showing Clark as having bad judgement and having him second guessed by everyonee makes Clark a better hero in their eyes. So for the fact of Clark being able to stand on his own two feet and not doing everything by committee I would say S3 was my favorite because he still had those qualities you mentioned but was learning the greater truth of who he is (Legacy, Memoria).The whole "It takes a village to raise a superhero" emphasis of the latter seasons is so irksome; Clark's moral compass in the early seasons was just fine.

Whatever season Lex starts to hit back at Clark a bit. He’s not buying the “exams” excuse anymore. He’s not just not waiting out Clark to tell him the truth but is a bit challenging to him.I do love in Talisman when Lex throws the term paper excuse right back at him!

And as for his Lex Hate, it warms my shipper heart because if he didn’t know Clark loved Lex he would’ve never killed him.They really make that explicit in Bride. And Justin understands homoeroticism - no SV director has given us a more blatant crotch shot!

...okay, I've seen a cap of this before but I always assumed it was from another show or was a joke or something. Why in the world is Oliver in drag? Don't get me wrong, it's pretty awesome but um, why??? *tilts head*

My least favourite for Martha is probably season 6 when they were kind of flirting with the Mionel but not really, and didn't seem to have a clue what to do with her. I'm not sure I've got a best season for her really? The show always kept her so in the background. I suppose that season 2 was the closest to interesting for her. It's funny because I hate how much they were playing up her possible friendship and closeness to Lionel AFTER Johnathon had just died, and Lionel had done terrible thing to her son in Memoria etc. But back in season 2 I could buy her gradually becoming fascinated by Lionel, while the plausible set-up was there for the spending time together because Matha was working for him. It could have been a pretty intriguing plot if they had done it then maybe, especially all the issues it would have brought up for Clark and Lex back when they were still close friends, they could have had some fun moments with trying to put an end to it*g*

Johnathon I never cared for much frankly because of the way he treated Lex, while the show constantly wanted to tell me what a morally upstanding and non-judgemental fellow he saw himself as. If I focus on the Kent family scenes alone (cause yeah they were nearly always great), I'd go with season 1 for best. For worst it would have to be season 2 because I was soooo pissed at Lineage revealing the real reason that Lionel was able to convince the Ross's to sell to him, when we had sat through a season of Jonathon lecturing Clark on Lex being the one partially at faut for what Lionel had done to the town of Smallville. And the way he speaks to Lex in Red, after Vortex had suggested he could be softening towards him, grrrr. I have Lex POV issues :P

Lionel's best season was definitely season 3 when he was one of the most awesome big bads ever, I never understood why John Glover was talking even back then about how his favourite thing was when people ask if he is playing a good or a bad guy, and it's very important for him to bring that moral ambiguity into it. He seemed so hung-up on not making Lionel an outright villain, but that WAS Lionel from the first three seasons, he was a magnificent bastard and he was awesome in that role. He didn't need to be wishy-washy to be interesting.

Least favourite is I guess anything from season 4 onwards where it was so obvious they were just trying to find reasons to keep the actor around. I guess I'll go with season 6 because I didn't understand what they were trying to say with his character that season, and (my Lex POV issues again!), I hate how the show constantly told us he was now a good guy just because he was protecting Clark, and it was cool for him to be downright cruel still in the way he spoke to Lex in episodes like Phantom about losing his mother, Lana never loving him etc. At least season 3 never tried to present him as a hero when he was screwing with Lex, but in later seasons it was like he was a good guy now just because Clark said so. And the show never treated his attitude towards Lex as problematic in those years either, so yeah drove me crazy

Chloe's worse season was absolutely season 9. It always frustrates me when people try and manipulate screentime totals to claim that she wasn't underused that season cause look overall she got more time than season 3 or whatever. She was still only being used for like 2-5 minutes of exposition in nearly all episodes from the first half of season 9! And yeah the screentime totals started catching up in the second half once the Chlollie pairing was taking off (although even that was still mostly developed off-screen...) but that still doesn't excuse them using her purely as an exposition tool for so long, and not giving us a clearer Chloe POV. After everything she had been through in season 8 with Jimmy, Davis, Lois disappearing, Clark walking out, she should have been very sympathetic for the audience in season 9, and the writing just wasn't there at all, and it seemed like Allison stopped trying too after the first couple of episodes :/ Best season is season 5 for me as that's when I really fell in love with her character, and thought she and Clark made such a great team, and she was having so much fun with Clark's newfound powers in episodes like Mortal, Lexmas etc.

For Lana my least favourite is season 2. I actually didn't find her so bad in season 1 compared to how she was viewed by a lot of fandom from the beginning. But I thought that she just became ridiculous in seasons 2 and 3, and maybe part of it was the excessive ue of pink, headbands, and the little girl clothes :is shallow:, but also I thought the writing of Clana was such a mess at that time. In season 1 they at least introduced Whitney as a plausible obstacle, but in seasons 2 and 3 it was long stretches of angsting about secrets and lies and keeping Clana apart just because. And the plots they did give Lana, like finding Henry Small or suddenly learning self-defense, seemed so badly thought-out and just thrown in there to give Lana something to do for an episode

My favourite seson for Lana is definitely season 5. That seemed like the first year they really got a handle on how to write her as a relatable and everyday teenage girl, and I could so relate to plots like her being desperate to be intimate with Clark LOL, or being drawn to Lex after Clark kept on lying to her and pulling away. Her character just made so much more sense to me at that time than she ever did in the earlier years of being this fantasy girl for Clark

Oliver's best season for me is his intro in season 6, I loved him that year and thought he brouught a lot to the show. Worst for me is season 8 because I was so excited for him being a regular, and I thought they then used him horribly and made him way too surly compared to the fun-loving playboy of season 6. And nearly all Oliver-centric episodes after Arrow were such utter fail too

Lois's worst season is either 5 or 7 for me. I wasn't a big fan of Julian and the way she got into the DP, and then it felt like they were almost making a joke of it with the scenes of her making out on the editor's desk while Chloe warned her how it might come across Idk, but I suppose that season 5 is the worst overall for me because at least season 7 gave her something to do. For many episodes in season 5 (Solitude, Hypnotic, Fragile etc) it was just like why is she here again. She just popped in for a few mildy amusing scenes and that was it

Favourite is probably either season 6 or 8. I thought she worked well when paired with Oliver in season 6, but then season 8 is the first time the character really grew on me and it felt like the writers had any clue how to portray her, so season 8 I guess

For Clark and Lex my favourite seasons for them both will always be season 1 :D Least favourite for Clark is season 9 because he seemed to get a bit violent and closed-off that year. And least favourite for Lex is season 4 because he was hardly in the bloody season! Hee I still have my DVD of Lex minutes that were being passed around at the time because everyone was so frustrated at the average two scenes in the darkened mansion that he was getting a lot of the time. It felt like there was such an effort to lighten things up after season 3 that his character really suffered from that

This is a great post. I can't play myself because - funnily enough - I don't know the show that well. I've only watched some of my personal favourite episodes more than once but otherwise I've only seen most episodes once and I barely remember them. (This isn't SV's fault so much as it's my terrible memory's fault.) But your reasoning is very convincing so I find myself basically agreeing with you on everything, including the boys being my two favourites and the reason I started watching in the first place. Lex in the early seasons was so awesome - I miss that Lex.

Honestly I've always just wished SV had been a Joss Whedon show. He would have told much braver and more original stories, and he would have hired far better writers. He would have revelled in the Clex, the characters would have been allowed to have sex (even if they did get punished for it!), characterisation would have been consistent, dialogue would have been witty, romance and angst would have been genuinely moving (as opposed to eye-rolly), Lex would have been a genuine threat, Clark would have been a proper leader, etc etc the list goes on. Sigh. Such a shame the SV creative team had no real idea what they were doing...

It's fascinating to imagine SV in Joss Whedon's hands. I think part of the problem with SV was the writers were ultimately a little too anxious to please the fans (and by the end, to adhere rigidly to canon.) But it's impossible to please all the fans without making a very bland product. The actors would have blossomed with JW dialogue too.

the boys being my two favourites and the reason I started watching in the first place. Lex in the early seasons was so awesome - I miss that Lex.I wish I could go back and encounter Clex all over again - they blew me away (and still do!)

//Jonathan defends Old Friend against charges of having flings and going to strip clubs, deciding it's all Lex's fault somehow. When it turns out Old Friend is doing all that stuff, it's still all Lex's fault, even though he assisted Clark in stopping a killer. Therefore Jonathan must run against Lex for office, kicking off a very boring plotline.//

Agreed. The funny thing is I still think the running for office could've been an interesting storyline, but the writers went about it in the most hackneyed, predictable way.

//Best episode: Rosetta//

ICAM. To me, this is Jonathon at his best.

//and worst of all, tearing a strip off a weeping Clark for marrying Alicia on Red K. Nasty stuff.//

Uh, yes. Martha at her worst.

//But S3 is Lionel-unleashed.//

Ooh, great way to put it, and ITA. I also agree with your assessment that S6 seemed to be confused as to who Lionel really was, but I don't know, between S6 and 7, it's all pretty bad. Actually it's downhill from S5 onwards, for me.

I'm undecided on Lana, except that there are moments of hers in S6 I find oddly compelling. I know, right?!

//I knew that kid, who always seemed to be on first name terms with grown-ups and you half envied her and half wanted to smack her. I also like Chloe best before she knows Clark's secret. Because before she knows, she's his friend but her curiosity makes her a bit of a threat, which gave the relationship an interesting tension.//

I love the way you put this. S3 is Chloe is flawed and compelling to watch, with a definitive POV. Her strongest year, easily. Not sure about the worst though, as I seem to recall having problems with her S5 onwards to be honest.

I'm with you on Oliver' sorry S8. I don't know what would be the best, though. I can't really think of one season where he consistently shone for me. He has moments in each season, but that's pretty much it.

Hmm, Lois. That's a tough one, but I have to agree with you in that S8 is a very strong Lois season, where she's extremely enjoyable to watch.

With Tess, in hindsight, I think S8 was a very good introduction. And there are moments in S9 that I enjoyed too, so, yeah, this is me, confused again, heh.

//Because Lex in S1 gets shit done!//

Yes! Lex is absolutely fascinating to watch in S1.

//Now, look back to Jitters and 15 year old Clark solving a crisis, completely on his own. He strategically uses his powers, makes a plan, saves everybody and even has sympathy for the krypto-villain. Clark in S1 trusts his own judgment and his judgment is good. He's got the confidence to disregard his parents' advice when he thinks they're wrong (Zero, Tempest), his crush on Lana doesn't prevent him from telling her she's being unfair (Hug), when he wants Chloe out of his business he tells her (Zero) and though he's bighearted enough to eventually forgive Whitney, that doesn't come right away. Contrast that to S9, where Clark isn't allowed even a momentary anger at Oliver for the knife in the back.//

Wonderfully said! I think I'm inclined to agree about S1. As for worst, I think it'd be a toss up between S6 and 7.

That's a tough one, but I have to agree with you in that S8 is a very strong Lois season, where she's extremely enjoyable to watch.I like that she's not yet the Love Interest; it's a good work/romancecomedy balance.

The funny thing is I still think the running for office could've been an interesting storyline, but the writers went about it in the most hackneyed, predictable way.I really think Lex should have won (but realize that winning wasn't enough.) His rise to power begins...

Oh, interesting! I'm watching S8-10 (not all of it, but random episodes that sound good) right now and all geared up to talk about SV.

I don't have opinions on all of these characters/seasons, but a few:

Clark: S1-2 will always be my favourite, but I also enjoy him in the last few seasons, because he's perhaps the only character in SV whose overall character arc makes sense to me. Also, the show at times acknowledges that Clark is *too* paranoid, whereas in the early seasons keeping his secret seemed more or less justified. He keeps his flaws, loses some of his early virtues, and gains some new ones, and mostly without weird upgrades like Lana.

Chloe: For me Chloe really takes off in S5, and I kinda like her phase as stressed-out Brainiac-enhanced genius - so maybe my point about Lana's upgrades is hypocritical (I assume she loses her super-smartness at some point... maybe not. But there has to be a reason she isn't Watchtower anymore.)

Lex: S1 is definitely the best, and everything that comes after Arctic is h

Lois: introduced much, much too early, she should have joined the show in S8 with Clark's move to the DP and Metropolis.

Ollie: Drunk!Ollie is my favourite, so S8/9. I like him being angsty and a bit failtastic and not really a nice guy, because he makes a better foil for Clark like that, and I can easily believe that he's a guy who wavers between productive, carefree, happy phases and self-destructiveness. Also, I like his dynamic and backstory with Tess. (And, ahah, that showgirl thing really happened? I saw a picture of that in another post recently and thought it was from another show!)

Lionel: S1-3 are his best, reformed-but-not-really Lionel is also okay, and I seem to have missed his death somewhere along the way and have no idea why he's back in the finale, but actually selling his soul to Darkseid wasn't a bad way to go, for him.

Lois: introduced much, much too early, she should have joined the show in S8 with Clark's move to the DP and Metropolis.I think that would have worked - she could have maybe guest-starred a few times, then joined the show with a bang in S8. ED was often sidelined in S4-7.

And, ahah, that showgirl thing really happened? I saw a picture of that in another post recently and thought it was from another show!The episode s called Fortune and if Ollie-in-drag rocks your world, there is a lot of it! He even shakes his man-boobs!

I seem to have missed his death somewhere along the way and have no idea why he's back in the finale, but actually selling his soul to Darkseid wasn't a bad way to go, for him.That's an alternate universe Lionel - JG played him as a little more overtly bad than regular Lionel (albeit with very similar parenting skills! In this reality, he found & raised Clark, turning him into Ultraman)http://tasabian.livejournal.com/148938.html

How did they aired the episodes of season 6 out of order? I mean which episodes?Subterranean was supposed to air earlier in the season...it seems out of place because Lex & Lana get engaged the week before before and they never mention the engagement!

Season 6 Mostly because she supported all the bad decisions of Clark regarding Lana.Yes, you'd think Martha's first priority would be making sure Clark didn't get hurt.

Very interesting and well-reasoned! I agree with pretty much all your choices I think (except for the season 10 ones which I haven't seen yet). I like that nobody had a bad season in seasons 1-3. Ah, the glory days! Season 6 however managed to ruin so many characters.

Also:S10 was a step up for him. He doesn't murder anyoneHahah!

One thing I am looking forward to in season 10 is showgirl!Oliver. I predict that this will be my favourite Oliver ever.

I totally agree with your choices of Best and Worst for Lex, Clark and Lionel (though I have to throw in one tiny quibble: Clark saved only Lex and Earl in "Jitters" -- it was Lex who saved everyone else). The only other pick I feel strongly about is the 'Best' season for Oliver Queen, which was clearly season 7 -- because he was barely in it at all. *grins*

I find that SV is more burned into my memory than many other (better) shows!

The only thing I can say for certain is that S8 is my least favorite season for Lana (I hated how her final arc totally destroyed everything that was set up nicely in S7) It wrecked the opportunity to make her Clark's lifelong, loyal friend...which would have been a moving goodbye for her.